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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. tube — the underground
  4. rash — hasty
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cue — for pool
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. cue — a signal
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. face — to confront
  12. rash — a series
  13. lie — to recline
  14. tube — a container
  15. field — a subject
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. field — farmland
  18. mine — for digging
  19. field — for sport
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. rock — a stone
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rock — music
  24. cue — a hint

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com